


Even If You Remember

by JemJamJammy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Parents, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse, Draco Has Been Secluded, Drarry, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Memory Loss, Oblivious Draco Malfoy, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Parents, Social Anxiety, Social Issues, Tags May Change, fluff at times, ooc kinda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:46:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24084571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JemJamJammy/pseuds/JemJamJammy
Summary: Draco has been secluded in his family manor all his life, and no matter how much he begged and pleaded with his parents they never saw it fit for him to leave. One day Draco decides he's had enough of his secluded life and runs off into the forest in the middle of the night. Unfortunately for Draco, being locked up in a mansion all your life means that you get lost anywhere else rather easily, and to make matters worse a hippogriff decides to fly off with him. When Draco is dropped off in the forbidden forest the fall knocks the memories out of him and also renders him unconscious. What will happen when Harry Potter finds him during another one of his detentions?
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 9
Kudos: 60





	1. Worst of Luck

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This will be my first story on this site and I have to admit I'm not the best writer out there. I'll try to keep chapters to at least 1,000 words and update whenever I can get the words to work out. This story isn't really set in stone so if you have any ideas about where it will go it might just be used. It's also been quite a while since I'v caught up with Harry Potter so if something is incorrect please point it out! I really hope you'll enjoy reading! :)

Maybe the situation could be a lot worse than it already was. Draco was always told that other people were below his family, so he supposes that the large manor house was a benefit. The thought didn't really help in actuality though. Draco continues to lie in the large queen size bed in the overly decorated box that he's lived in all his life. Despite that he was barely living. Draco sits up after another moment of time, ruffling the deep green blankets that drape over his slim form. He just keeps staring into the wall in front of him, an intricate wallpaper of roses and thorns. Eventually he gets up out of the bed and walks over to a large work desk, perfectly organized, not even the quill is out of place. Reaching over the desk Draco grabs hold of the thick drapes pulling them open. Moonlight flushes the once dark room, making it seem much more welcoming than it actually was. Draco keeps his grip on the drapes as he looks down onto the manor grounds below him. Flush green grass, large metal gates up everywhere, and perfectly tended flowers. There were probably other things in the garden that would be useful to his father and mother, powerful potion ingredients or even poisonous nightshade. Whatever worked he supposed. He continues to look out the window as his gaze moves away from what was inside the gates and finds that something that always made Draco's chest swell with a sort of tightness. The forest. He'd been let outside the manor once, when he was very young, and looking past the gates up close felt almost magical. How ironic. Looking at the swaying branches and how they filtered the moonlight still held the familiar feeling. It had been such a long time ago though, and even though the feeling remains he can't remember what it was like to feel the breeze of spring air on his skin. Draco sighs deeply; looking outside was just another reminder of what he would never have and what he really doesn't think he wants.  
"Heh." Draco chuckles to himself. He could imagine the absolute outrage his parents would have is he said he wanted to go outside.

_"We've always given you everything you've asked for and you have the audacity to ask us that!"_  
_"Don't you have enough things to do inside the house!? If you are so needy for entertainment go read up on potions, your skill is starting to slack."_  
_"Not another word from your ungrateful trap, we'd ought to lock you in the basements instead!"_

His small smile quickly fades as he remembers every incident about the outside world. Everything he would ever need was inside the manor, he didn't need anything else. He had survived the past 16 years here in the manor and he wasn't about to leave yet. Turning back around Draco lit the candles on the desk and grabbed a book from the shelves. Another one about potions, and boy was this a long one. Potions was one of the subjects his parents made sure to bicker on about the most, along with charms. They didn't really bother teaching anything else but the basics for every other class. One day Draco had found a textbook from Hogwarts itself, though his parents had failed to inform him about what Hogwarts was at the time. He flipped through the pages until he found the subject Defense Against The Dark Arts. Everything else has seemed to be taught, so feeling like he was lacking he asked his parents the same night at dinner about what the subject was. It was a mistake to ask. His parents fumed almost instantaneously at the brief mention of the topic, as though it was taboo. They got up so quickly it genuinely scared Draco about what they planned to do; his father had grabbed his arm and demanded to know where he learned of such a thing while his mother stared in disappointment. 

_"TELL ME BOY WHERE YOU FOUND OUT ABOUT THAT SUBJECT!"_

_"I-I read a book with it inside!"_

_"WHAT BOOK!?"_

_"O-o-one-"_

_"STOP STUTTERING AND SPEAK UP!"_

_Draco had to swallow and keep away his tears before the grip on his arm got any tighter._

_"I found it in the back library, it was called 'Basic 1st Year Student Subjects at Hogwarts'" Draco managed to whimper out thinking this would ease his father's anger, only for it to flare up 100 times worse. They dragged him by the arm all the way to the library where they snatched up the book the minute he showed them, then continued to pull him along grabbing a wooden spoon on the way. They eventually made it back to the vast room they had been dining in and stopped in front of the blazing fireplace._

_"THIS boy, is not something you should ever concern yourself with again, you hear! I swear Draco you are in need to learn to respect your elders!" Lucius shouted as he tossed the book into the blazing fire. Draco only watched in fear as the paper wrinkled and burned in the fires heat. Thinking this was over Draco had tried to pry himself out of his father's grasp only to have a gloved hand hit him across the face. Absolutely terrified he looked up to his father with tears in his eyes and despair on his face. What Draco expected was a look of comfort, maybe guilt, ended up being a scowl._

_"We need to teach this boy how to act like a proper Malfoy." Lucius said before pushing him into his mother's grasp. His mother's arms snaked around him keeping him still as they slowly sank to sit by the fire. Looking up at his mother for some sort of support, Draco was yet again disappointed and fearful to find that his mother, his own mother; the one who would usually care for him when his father was harsh, would not even look at him. He had forgotten completely what Lucius had been doing, only to snap his head and gaze in the direction of his father walking towards him, a burning candle in hand. Draco's eyes widened wondering what his father was going to do with it, but too fearful to open his mouth and ask._

_"Hold out his arm and roll up his sleeves." He said, and before he knew what was about to happen his mother moved to the position asked and held him in place by the wrist. Draco realized then what the candle was for. He immediately began to struggle away from his mother's strong grip, only to see his parents look at him with distaste. That's when he felt the first drip of hot wax hit his skin. He cries out, the tears finally pouring over as his father continues to drip the wax over the underside of his arm. It burns, oh how it burns. The sensitive and smooth skin is burnt and turning red. He cries and struggles and they only seem to pour more and more wax with every jolt of his body. Eventually he falls limp under their grasp, more wax visible on his arm than skin, and there's barely any candle left. The final punch in the gut was how his father put out the still burning candle. He brought down the flame, and rubbed it on what little exposed skin there still was. God it hurt. It burned. His final scream was the only one they'd let him get away with for the night, and the circular burn on his arm would remind him to never ever be curious again. If curiosity doesn't kill the cat, they'd make sure to shoot it after._

Draco wakes from the memory jumping up from his seat. Looking down he had fallen asleep again and had his face in the textbook. The candles he lit had long burned out and sunlight was shining through the window instead of moonlight. He's still shaky, it wasn't just a nightmare but a memory. He had been ten years of age. He eventually discovered what Hogwarts was to his parent's dismay but they soon realized that no matter how many times they shouted and beat him he wouldn't really forget about it so they gave up and told him that the place only taught wish-wash and what he was learning was ACTUAL magic. Of course Draco believed them for some time, but he soon realized such a school would not have such renown that even his recluse self would discover it. Sometimes he wishes he'd kept the book to himself and not asked his parents; they had searched the library afterwards and destroyed every Hogwarts book they found. He still wonders about the place from time to time, how _cool_ it would be to actually attend a class with real people and real beasts. It was an empty dream though, he knew that his life would be spent here until the day his parents died. But is that really what he wants?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning is like all the rest; wake up, study, eat, study, walk the manor, eat, study, eat once more, study, then pass out. Of course he hadn't completed every step yet, he just knew that there would be no significant event today. He walked over to a window in the kitchen, it was ground level and he could gaze upon the Earth more thoroughly this way. This was one of the more monitored places in the manor, the big window and loose doorway to the outside always had his parents keeping an eye on him. He was alone now though, but he knew it was just a matter of time before his mother or father peeked through the doorway or just walked in to watch him. After a few minutes though, Draco realized that nobody was coming. Intrigued he walked over to the doorway he was always kept 3 feet from. Jittery, he walked towards it getting more nervous by the step. If his parents saw this they would surely lock him in his room again for the week, or worse. He knew there was nothing to gain from it other than appealing to his curiosity, but he wasn't about to pass up the chance. Taking one good look at the door it was of course locked, however, looking at the wood above the lock he noticed it to be rotting away. Even more fascinated at this point Draco reached out his hand to further inspect the durability of the dark ebony door. Sure enough, it squished and deformed under the pressure. Mortified with the discovery, he backs up to the other side of the kitchen in mean seconds. What if his parents noticed? However, after he calmed the black wood lacked the sense of depth, so it looked just the same as it was before. Finally, deciding he had looked enough, he turned to head out of the room. 

Striding down the halls felt as lonely as ever. Every footstep just reminded him of how utterly alone he was. At times it was rather pleasant, he didn't have to worry about dealing with people for once but at times like this he just hoped that maybe someone would just show him new. It didn't matter either way because after much thought and probably irrational judgement, Draco has decided that today will actually have an unusual event. He'd have to wait though, when his parents fell asleep and he could sneak about the house. He would pass the time though, he did feel the need to pack himself some things after all. Closing the door to his room Draco pulled out a chest from under his bed. It had dust all over it and cobwebs connected it to the walls the bed touched. Clicking it open, he had to rummage through it for a bit until he found what he was looking for.

"Aha! Got it." Draco said triumphantly when he pulled out a small messenger bag from the chest. It wasn't as dusty as some of the other items in the chest, but was a faded brown and the leather had begun to crack. Regardless of that, the silver clasp closing the bag still looked brand new as though it was a replacement to what should have been there. He closes the chest and pushes it back to its original placement. He walks over to his desk area, picking out his most important and favorite selections of books, as well as a few other small trinkets. He walks over to the side of his bed again and slides it underneath it along with the chest. Now it was all just a matter of waiting.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Maybe this wasn't the best idea he had ever had. He should have been bundled up inside of his room, sleeping until an inevitable nightmare would awaken him in the wee hours of the day. He moved silently, knowing where every loose floorboard was after years of roaming the manor halls. Draco rarely ever had a reason to awaken this late at night, but he had a few times, when the nightmares began and he ran to his parents room. They never let him stay, pushing him back to his own room without any real comfort, but that was just how they were. At least that's how Draco _thought_ parents should be, it's not like he's seen any other ones. He had read about them though, in story books he found. They were loving and held their children when they cried, and never hurt them. When he asked why the parents in the book were so different to the ones he had, they just said it was a story. Exaggerated to be more appealing to the young mind, and he believed them. He still believes them; how could anyone love anything so much without the need for something in return. He wasn't able to find many fictional stories after that incident either. Draco didn't realize how lost in thought he was until he found himself in the kitchen, coat and boots on with his bag draped around him. He thought it be best if he packed some water and maybe some apples for his little trip just in case. Maybe he would be able to see a rabbit like the ones in the books! Would they accept the apple? They were known to be rather timid animals. He sighs as he steps to the door. He wouldn't have ever dared to step outside without permission before, but he wanted to know. He needed to know. Draco grabbed a knife that sat on the counter, the moonlight bouncing off the perfectly sharpened blade. It would be perfect. He brought the blade over to the nudge of rotting wood and began to hack away at the wood, little by little. Small moist wood chippings fell to the floor with each strike of the blade slowly revealing the makings of the doors lock. Draco's eyes widened more and more with every inch he hacked away; eventually the gap was large enough that Draco could slip his hand inside and try to grip the metal doorknob. He held on as tight as he could, but it seemed to move very little with each pull of his arm. Sweat began to bead on his forehead; what is someone were to catch him? The thought was unlikely, there hasn't been anyone here for years other than his parents and himself. There had been a few servants at one time, he didn't really remember them all that much. He did remember liking one of them in particular, what was her name? It didn't really matter now though, she was long gone never to be seen here again. **CRUNCH**

Looking back to his hands there was the doorknob completely sideways in the door and no longer being of any usefulness. Draco smiled a large smile he hasn't been able to produce in a very long time. He slid his fingers in between the door and door frame as much as he could manage and with a simple tug the door opened up before him. A breeze pushed in immediately sending shivers down his spine and Draco squeezed his eyes shut not at all used to the sensation. He brought his hands up to rub at his arms hoping to generate some heat, reopened his eyes, and stepped out into the world.

The gate had been something Draco was not prepared for. It stood at about 2 and a half meters high and was adorn with spikes at the top. His only option would be to squeeze through the bars if he was even skinny enough to pull if off. It was much too late to turn back now, so he stepped up onto the stone platform and moved himself between the bars. Eventually he managed to slip through the bars and he was almost proud of himself until he felt a tug on his shoulder. The bag. It was much too thick to pass through, Draco had thought about passing back through and tossing it over the gate, but suddenly he heard the snapping of branches.

"Hello?"

**SNAP**

Hell no. Draco quickly swung the bag over his head and rushed into the forest, the other direction from the snapping that is. He didn't really know where he was going, but it seemed that every time he tried to stop for a breath the snapping of branches would make its way closer to him. Eventually he could run no longer and leaned up against a tree, drenched in sweat and panting. Looking around Draco realized one thing after his sprint; every tree looked the same. Getting up from his spot by the tree, he began to wander about.

"Oh no, this cannot be happening." Draco said as he continued to walk through the forest. Rotting leaves made squelching noises beneath him, and the shadows cast by branches made it very hard to see. Trying to control his breathing, Draco tried to find his way through the forest searching for something. An opening in the trees would be rather useful. Then it happened again, the crunch of a branch snapping. Freezing in place and going stiff as a steel board Draco didn't move an inch. He could hear whatever creature it was moving closer. Breathing deeply he made a decision; it wasn't leaping to attack him and the worse that could happen is that he'd become a beasts meal. Okay maybe that was really bad but at this point it was too late. He took one final shaky breath and turned to see what was behind him. He almost shouted when he saw a large yellow beak in his face. Instead he tumbled back and landed on the ground.

"Oof!"

He closed his eyes on the impact but then he felt a nuzzle to the cheek. Opening one eye he could now see feathers and...the backside of a horse? Looking closer to himself, he also saw two large, very large and sharp eagle claws right by his thighs. Gulping he attempted to lift up his hand. He immediately stopped and shut his eyes again when the creature flinched. Keeping his hand still and looking away Draco dearly hoped that he would not be devoured by this large bird thing. Suddenly he felt a pressure on his hand and looking up he found the beasts beak resting in his palm. Surprised but satisfied, he pet the creature.

"Well I suppose this could have gone worse." He said with a smile on his face. Suddenly there was another crunching noise, much louder and more intimidating than the one the hippogriff had made. The bird looked up as well, scanning the surroundings for danger when it put itself into a defensive pose. Draco was about to panic once again, but before he could even register the movement he was grabbed by the torso and was being lifted past the trees. He continued to be lifted higher and higher and then he realized that this large bird was taking off with him! He was absolutely filled with rage and fear.

"LET ME DOWN THIS INSTANT YOU BIG UGLY BRUTE!!" He yelled up at the creature. The only response he revived however was a much firmer grip than before. Looks like he would be taken much farther than he first anticipated.


	2. Fallen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco is carried all the way to Hogwart's forbidden forest but hits his head on landing? How will a certain Harry Poter react to a blonde falling out of the sky on another one of his detentions?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, chapter two! The first chapter ended up being super long so I hope I can keep it up! Anyway, enjoy reading :D

Draco was sure he was going to freeze to death. Or starve. Whichever came first. He was currently being held at an undesirably high altitude by the creature that he met in the forest. He didn't know what he had expected to happen, he couldn't really go back with the door busted, and now he doesn't even know how far they've flown. Draco opens his eyes, they were closed for multiple reasons; reasons he was reminded of when he opened them again. Reason one, he was a couple hundred feet in the air. Reason two, they were moving rather quickly so wind hurt his eyes. Reason three, it just reminded him of how far this creature planned to carry him. This time he kept his eyes open; eventually, he could feel hot tears threaten to spill out over his cheeks. There he was, no home to return to, and being flown off to god knows where. Draco brought up his hands to cover his face. He should have stayed in his room; god he wished that he never had windows in the first place. If that had been the case then he would have never been tempted to leave. Actually, thinking it through further, that would actually make him want to go out that much more. God, why did he want to leave so badly!?

**CAW**

...Did that blast bird just-

“Shut it! I already have to deal with your kidnapping as is, the least you can do is be quiet you foul bird creature!”

**CAW CAW**

“I SAID SHUT- AAAH WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW BIRD?” Draco said as the hippogriff started to dive downwards, towards another forest. To Draco’s dismay, he did not at all recognize this one. The trees were much older than the forest they had been in prior, their branches loomed over the ground, as though waiting for prey to walk past and be consumed by their woods. Not to mention the horribly dangerous aura of the place and the unseeable darkness that lay inside. 

“You will certainly not drag me in there!” Draco squealed as the bird continued to dive. “Let go! Let go go go!!!” he continued as he hit the birds claws as hard as he could. After a few minutes of this he would sense that the drop had lessened and they were flying more horizontally again. He stops his punches when he feels them slow as well, looking up he can see the creature scan the surroundings below him.

**CAW!**

“Shut it!” Draco hollered at the bird and then continued to punch at it’s claws again. Unimpressed, the hippogriff just ignored him and kept searching the grounds below. Draco was absolutely livid at this point. He was flushed red from all his struggling and was now getting quite cold again with the sweat on his face. He would get ill if he stayed out here any longer. Eventually, the bird started to move it’s claws, Draco still in them, so that it was holding him like a child would a cat. It honestly hurt his arms and shoulders being held like this. Honestly this bird annoyed the living daylight out of him. He sighed before stiffening his posture to scold the wretched thing. He was a Malfoy, he would not be handled in such a manner!

“Now listen to here bird, you better stop treating me like some sort of toy this instant or I swear! I come from a very powerful family that would gladly make you into a nice stuffed coat! Can you even understand me!? HELLOOOO!” he rambled on, just working himself up more until he settled down and huffed out. Expecting the bird to finally bring him to the ground so he could begin his journey home, he was greeted with quite the different result. He began to be jostled left and right by this brute! 

“STOP STOP STOP!!” he yelled and shouted as loud as he possibly could. He started punching at the claws that held him to no avail. After another few rounds of struggle Draco realized that he had another line of defense, legs. He began to kick at the large beast and wriggle himself violently.

**CAW!!!!**

Mistake. The claws might have not bothered the hippogriff, but a firm kick to the stomach did. So, with that one movement, Draco would learn that he maybe should have just waited to land. Not that he would remember this lesson though. Down, down down, he dropped. Through the air he fell, gaining more and more speed as he dropped. His eyes widened and he shot out his arms in a futile attempt to catch onto something. He continued to drop, and drop, and drop. 

______________________________________________________________________________

Harry was livid. It was currently the fine time of 12:34 am on a Wednesday and instead of spending it in his wonderfully warm bed he was out and about patrolling the forbidden forest on another detention. What deemed him worthy of the punishment you may ask? Well wanting a midnight snack still technically means you were out past hours, so he was properly punished. In Harry’s opinion however, it was properly rubbish. He could have just spent his time iside doing whatever work the teachers wanted him to do but apparently he was the only one trusted to patrol the forest. And it was freezing. He continued to make this way through the thick underbrush of the forest floor, tripping over larger protruding branches that hooked onto his feet and he walked. Dim moonlight filters through the trees, but just barely makes it to the ground. His lantern flickers as he walks in the dark, it is unsettling to most but nothing he hasn’t experienced already. All seems well in the forest and Harry was about to turn back until he could hear a soft call out in the distance. Thinking it was nothing he continues turning until another loud call reaches his ears, this time somewhat conceivable and clear. Harry turns back and begins to walk deeper into the forest, and with each step he can hear some sort of struggle. Eventually he can hear the voice clearly enough to tell that they are male, however at one point he cannot seem to get closer to the sound. He stands at the edge of a small cliff, small rocks and leaning trees disguise the slope but he managed to stop before he slipped over the edge. Puzzled, he searches the surrounding area looking for some sign of this voice. It could not be a prank, it was far too late at night, cold, and much too deep into the forest for anyone to come up with a rouse like that. 

_“Maybe it’s just my imagination…”_ Harry thinks to himself, until he is disrupted by a clear cry from above his position. Shooting his neck up to the noise, he now knows that whoever is pleading for help is either in the air or in one of the trees above him. Suddenly, there is a snapping of branches and a sharp yell as Harry sees a shadow begin to fall from the trees. He ducks to the side and the body lands on the cliffs edge, rolling and tumbling down its side. Harry just stands there, unmoving as he stares at the blonde boy tumbling down the hill. He quickly snaps himself out of it and rushes down as well to catch the fallen boy. It is a difficult task with branches and rocks threatening to trip him if he runs down too quickly and he struggles to find a foothold in the loose dirt. He eventually makes it down and searches for the boy’s body, hoping that he survived the fall. Eventually he spots a shrivel of blonde hair poking out from a nearby bush, and he is relieved to see the body moving up and down in a steady string of breaths. He rushes over to the boy and drags his body to the clearest space he can find. There are cuts and gashes all over his body, he is lucky the tree branches stopped some momentum otherwise he would have certainly perished from the fall. Examining him closer he sees a rather large gash bleeding out into the lob of platinum colored hair. It looks rather bad and he dearly hopes the boy does not perish due to blood loss. Harry stands now, and reaches down to swing the other over his shoulder. He is surprisingly light, and Harry almost tosses him with the force he uses to lift him. Pleased to know carrying the boy will not be difficult, he begins his march back to Hogwarts, hoping to figure out what this boy was doing, falling from the sky.

Harry finds that the most difficult of his tasks was not carrying the weight of the boy itself but also carrying the lantern while avoiding the slithering branches of the forest. He had tripped over himself a total of 16 times now, and he was barely even close to proper school grounds yet. Stll, he had to continue on his way until the boy could be checked on and treated by Madam Pomfrey, and then get some answers from him. What would a boy like this be doing flying above the forbidden forest. Judging by his clothes, he seemed to be from some well off people, with silver buttons and the high-standard green clothes. It was too bad that they were ripped and bloodied up now, they were probably expensive. 

Harry eventually made it to the open and grassy land that stood outside of Hagrid’s hut. He panted and placed down the still unconscious boy as he sat down to catch his breath. Harry had to guess it was well past 2 am at this point in time, and expected absolutely nobody to be awake. Just like that, every presumption was flattened when Hagrid and McGonagall came rushing towards him.

“My goodness, Harry Potter! Have you any idea of how long you were in that forest?! And by the gods who is _this_?!” McGonagall scolds him and he continues to catch his breath and gestures to the injured boy.

“The boy there looks like he’s been through hell! We’d better get him to Pomfrey stat!” Hagrid says, trying to divert the subject.

“And who exactly is this, Mr. Potter?” McGonagall questions him with a distasteful look.

“I’d like to know that myself, he just dropped down from the sky.”

“Dropped down from the sky you say Harry? Well he must have been carried off by some creature then,” Hagrid says as he picks up the sleeping boy, “Well come on now, we don’t want the boy to bleed out now, do we? Off to the infirmary!” 

______________________________________________________________________________

Draco feels a sharp and immense pain radiate from his head. Actually, every part of his body feels sore and bruised, some spots more than others. He opens his eyes a bit, and sunlight peeks through. He then opens his eyes completely with some difficulty, but sees that he is inside of what appears to be an infirmary. He tries to turn his head to look around but a sharp stabbing pain forms all around his body and plasters him to stay put. He doesn’t know where he is, and he doesn’t want to make noise, but he needs to know who else might be here. Suddenly, the curtains around his bed are pushed back to reveal a dark hair boy with round glasses and the greenest eyes Draco had ever seen, along with a scar poking out from the jet black locks of hair. 

“Ah! You’re awake!” The boy says as he walks over to the edge of Draco’s hospital bed and takes a seat next to him. “Would you tell me your name?” Draco hesitates at the question, he does not fully trust this stranger next to him, and his mind seems fuzzy after being asked anything.

“It’s uh, Draco.”

“Draco what?”

Draco sits there puzzled. He simply cannot find the words. He’s mildly concerned, should he have a last name? Last he remembered he didn’t have one. Actually, he couldn’t remember much of anything. He knew he was Draco, that was for sure, and he also knew that he didn’t know who the black haired boy in front of him was. He didn’t seem malicious, just curious.

“I-i… I’m not exactly s-sure.” Draco hesitates. He reels back emotionally when he sees the distraught in the other boy's face. “And who might you be?”

“You don’t know?” He asks, honestly surprised. He then lifts up his hair, fully revealing the scar on his head.

“No, I don’t, and I would like to know what’s going on though.” Draco snaps back, getting rather impatient. Harry however, looks absolutely bewildered at the fact that someone doesn’t know who he is. Wait, maybe this boy was a muggle and that’s why he hasn’t heard of the boy who lived.

“Do you know magic?”

Draco was honestly getting tired of the obvious questions.

“Of course I know magic, what I don’t know is what I should call you.” He asked once more, getting fed up with the unintelligent questioning.

“Oh! Well I’m Harry Potter!” The boy says with a smile. He sets out his hand waiting for Draco to shake, which he does.

“And I’m Draco… Draco um…” 

“You really have no memory then huh? Well no wonder, that fall was quite a large one.” Harry says, drawing back his hand. 

“Fall?”

“Yeah, you fell quite a few feet from the air. You got really banged up, if I wasn’t there you’d probably have bled to death. You also hit your head pretty hard, which would explain why you don’t even remember your last name.”

“O-oh well um…”

“I know that it’s probably a lot to take in at once, but I have to call the professors in and tell them you’re awake, along with your lack of memory, so I must go. I’ll be back soon though to explain so don’t worry too much!” Harry says as he walks off and out of the infirmary. He goes before Draco can ask him any more questions, leaving him there even more confused than before. He still doesn’t know where he is but a bigger question looms in his mind now, who is he? He looks off into the distant window through the opening in the curtains.

“Potter…” 

______________________________________________________________________________

“I’m telling you Ron, he didn’t even remember his own name! And for once I don’t have a person instantly recognize me. I thought he was a muggle, but he says he knows magic!” Harry says as he and Ron walk down Hogwarts corridors. News had spread fast around the castle that a pretty blonde boy was found in the forest and was now taken care of in the infirmary, the teachers had to keep some students from peeping at the closed curtain. Every girl was swooning over the boy who dropped from the sky, saying he was an angel or something cliche that they liked. It was tiring with every other person asking who he was and how he found him. It was nice to walk peacefully with his best friend.

“Sounds like lies to me.” Ron replied without another thought.

“What do you mean? If he doesn’t remember then he doesn’t remember, he did have a nasty fall after all.” Harry said; Ron just shrugged. “Well McGonagall’s office is here so I’ll see you later Ron!” Harry rushed out as he sprinted inside the room, hoping that the professor hadn’t left yet. 

“Ah, Mr. Potter. How may I help you today?”

“The boy has woken up, says his name is Draco, but can’t seem to remember anything else.” Mcgonagall looks up at him, a bit distraught. She gets up and begins to head out the door.

“I surely hope you explained some things at least?”

“I uh… no.” Harry blushed, a bit embarrassed that he forgot to do that simple thing. The professor just sighed and continued to walk down to the infirmary. Harry eventually went to join her at the infirmary, hoping to apologize for just rushing out. It was a lot for him too. He was the one who just found him after all. The halls were much emptier than when he was out there with Ron earlier. There were only a few stray students with free periods and the occasional late straggler who rushed to their class. Harry agreed with some of the girls, Draco was quite the pretty boy. Thinking about it made him a bit flustered, what was he thinking? He’d only met the boy yesterday and found him half dead and bloody. Nonetheless he still found himself mildly attracted to the slim, blonde, and snarky Draco. Harry just ignored it, hoped it was nothing, and shoved away the feeling to be dealt with later. He was not going to make a problem out of the stranger, but he really hoped that they would soon become friends, or at least acquaintances.

He eventually made his way there, and opened the door to see not only McGonagall but also Professor Dumbledore. They were speaking to the blonde stranger, asking him questions and such, explaining where he was. Eventually Harry stepped inside and closed the door, but the two teachers then turned to leave just as he entered.

“Ah Harry, perfect timing.” Dumbledore said as he stepped over to greet Harry, McGonagall just nodded in reply. “It seems the boy you found had truly lost his memory in his fall, you would not mind watching over him for the time being?”

“Of course not!” Harry said very quickly, and maybe too enthusiastically. The professor only smiled and bid that McGonagall follow him through the door, they would be late for the classes. Harry walks over to find Draco now sitting up, holding a glass filled with either water or some type of medicine. 

“Hello again, Potter.” Draco said, sipping the glass and grimacing at the flavor. Medicine then. 

“Greetings to you as well, I assume the professors explained what you were wondering?” Harry asked, sitting on the same chair he had been seated in earlier. 

“Not quite, I still have a few. For you though.” 

“Really?”

“Yes, um. Well why exactly did you expect me to know who you are? Are you popular at this school?” Draco asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity. He looked like an innocent child with such a gleeful expression. 

“Well I would say that I am popular, but only because everyone already knows my name.” Harry says, grimacing at the memories of all the fake people who were only friendly because he had a title, and all the people who hated him for the same reason. 

“Why is that?” Draco asked once more, bobbing his head to one side. 

“Ah, well I’m known as the boy who lived.”

“Why?” 

Harry was getting quite overwhelmed by all of the blunt questioning. He wasn’t very keen on sharing since everyone already knew, but this boy legitimately had no idea.

“Well, you see… there was this one evil wizard, whose name we do not speak, that went and slaughtered anyone in his way. He attempted to kill me too, he got my family, but not me. That is why I am the boy who lived.” Harry finished off. He felt a tension in his chest as he shared the story. He could have had a family, maybe. He never had to share that story before. Looking back at Draco he saw the empathetic look in his eyes. He didn’t really say anything but Harry knew what he wanted to say by the look in his eyes.

“Harry?”

“Yes?”

“You’re very brave.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 4 am and this took forever, totally happy with it though!


	3. Strange Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco and Harry spend more time together and try and piece together what Draco does know, and make some interesting discoveries doing so. And interesting may also mean traumatizing.

Draco felt much calmer than he had felt before. He was at a school for magic so he knew he was safe, and he was making friends with this Potter boy. He was very kind, or maybe he just felt guilty, either way he visited everyday and chatted with him. He wasn’t always there but Harry talked about the other people he was friends with often and Draco was rather fond of their odd adventures. Harry also asked a lot of questions about Draco, which was very helpful. He learned things and habits he had that he had forgotten or didn’t notice.

“You always call me by my last name, Potter, you can call me Harry you know?” He said to Draco.

“Yes I know that I just...like calling you by your last name I suppose.” 

“Why? It’s so formal and uptight-”

“I am **not** uptight HARRY.” Draco interrupted before Harry would begin to name him a bunch of silly traits. 

“See! It isn’t that awkward!” Harry replied with a goofy large grin on his face. “I like it a lot more than my last name. You sound like Professor McGonagall-”

“ENOUGH!” 

Draco rolls over in the bed facing away from Harry as he just laughs at him for being so pouty. 

“Okay okay, you’re too child-like to be Professor McGonagall.” Harry snickers and continues the tiny jabs and teasings. Draco just sat there balled up in his blankets getting more red and embarrassed with each comment. He needed to change the topic and fast before there was no more of his ego to be shot down. 

“I can walk around for some time now, you know?” It was true, after his accident he wasn’t able to walk for a long time due to the blood loss. He would pass out and fall over if he started walking but he has been getting better over time. Harry shut up at the mention of this and just stared at him for a moment; Draco was afraid that he had offended the other boy in some way before his face suddenly gleamed with happiness. 

“Really!? Oh! That means you’ll be able to walk about that castle and meet all my friends as well!” Harry said in a rush of excitement. He was always telling Draco how excited he would be when he would get to show him about the castle and show him the classes. It had been arranged that Draco would study here since he was the same age as the 6th years and had no other place to go. 

“I’d actually like to meet them before that if they wouldn’t mind. It would be strange to just walk about one day to your friends and be like ‘hello I know all about you two from Harry’!” Draco said. Harry had quieted down once again at the mention of this and just smiled.

“Yeah that would be pretty strange, I’ll see when they have some time to kill and then they can meet you.” Harry said. Suddenly there was the noise of extra commotion from outside the door. There was the creak of the door, shuffle of multiple people walking inside, and increase of volume, and the door shutting. Looking over they could see multiple professors gathering as well as Dumbledore. He was holding a large brown object in his hands that Draco could not recognize due to the crowd but upon seeing it Harry’s face lit up.

“Oh no wonder there’s a commotion! Draco, that’s the sorting hat!” Harry said in a loud whisper. 

“Sorting hat?” Draco had no idea what a sorting hat was or what it was even used for but it seemed pretty important. 

“Yes! It sorts you into your house, I’m in Gryffindor but there’s also Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff.”

“What’s the big deal about it though?”

“Well everyone’s heard of the boy who suddenly dropped from the sky, they want to know if you’re in their house.” Harry said. Harry was quite excited to see what house Draco was in. Draco was very sweet like a multitude of Hufflepuffs, very proper like some of the more well-bred Slytherins of the school, and didn’t like when people asked trivial questions like a Ravenclaw. It was anyone’s guess as to what house he would be sorted into. What would a boy without memories value? The professors were still over by the door chatting away with the hat when Dumbledore suddenly strode his way over to Draco and Harry.

“I see that you two have seen the hat, and I also assume that Harry has explained what it does?” The pair nodded in silence as he reached over to place the hat attop Draco’s loft of blonde hair. Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath, but the gossip of students outside interrupted the tense feeling. To everyone's surprise, the hat could not even be fully placed down before it shouted it’s conclusion to the room.

“SLYTHERIN!” The sorting hat declared. Everyone stood in silence before Dubledore took the hat away for Draco’s head.

“Well, for a boy who cannot remember his own past you seem to be quite strongly attuned with the Slytherin values.” He chuckled as the anxious aura of the room began to fade. The professors sighed as the tensions ended and had to push past students from the doorway while Harry and Draco sat there generally unsure of what to do with the information.

“Well, everyone seems rather **too** excited about this don’t you think?” Draco said looking at the crowd of every house trying to ask the professor questions. Harry just chuckled in reply. He couldn’t really hide the disappointment from his face, he was hoping Draco could be a Gryffindor as well but it seems he just wouldn’t. He just kept on smiling, looking forward to the day he and Draco would be able to walk about and attend class together. Totally fun for sure! 

______________________________________________________________________________

“Why are you two in SUCH a hurry?” Harry said as he had to literally chase Ron and Hermione down the halls before they slowed by the dining halls. 

“Well you said that this Draco wanted to meet us, and you’ve obviously told him about us, it’s about your turn to tell US something.” Hermione said in an urgent tone, and Ron just nodded in agreement. Harry was a bit uneasy with the thought; Draco didn’t have past experiences after all. Draco was nice though, sweet and kind but also very prissy from Harry’s own experience. 

“Well I’m not sure what I would tell you.” Harry replied. The only thing of importance was his house, which had just been assigned. 

“Well what are his interests? Hobbies? Oh! Favorite subject?!” Hermione continued to ask. Harry didn’t know what to do with the bombard of questions. He did consider himself a friend of Draco’s at this point but he still knew so little about him. 

“Look, Draco doesn’t even remember himself! I’m not sure what to tell you.” Harry said, concluding it was the best answer he could give. Hermione’s dissatisfied look proved him wrong. 

“Well then, I’ll just go and ask myself!” She snapped back at him.

“Well you can’t!”

“Why not?”

“He’s nervous to meet you two! Says that you should know about him too since I’ve told stories about you two.” Harry grumbled. He didn’t like how unusually pushy she was being and was surprised when Hermione’s face brightened.

“See, that’s something! He’s a bit shy to new people, what else?” All the meanwhile Ron was watching the two bicker as he ate his meal, like what a normal person in the dining hall would do.

“Wasn’t there a fuss about his house this morning?” Ron said, sick of the two asking nonsense to each other back and forth.

“Oh that’s right, you were there Harry, what house is he in?” Now that was a bit of pressure. Harry wasn’t sure if he was allowed to tell them Draco’s house, no teachers were saying anything and nobody had the guts to ask him; but then again he wasn’t told _not_ to. He decided that his two best friends would do no harm with the information, and even if others managed to hear it, the worst that would happen is girls mocking other girls who weren’t in the Slytherin house. 

“He was sorted into Slytherin, it was actually quite strange…” Harry began, nodding off into his thoughts.

“Strange? How so?” Ron gurgled, a mouth full of food. Hermione grimaced as he did. 

“Well, Dumbledore couldn’t even place the hat fully down before it shouted Slytherin.” 

“Really?” Ron asked, getting a small smack from Hermione for continuous talking with food in his mouth. It was quite strange, Harry knew, but the hat sorted and that was that. 

“Yeah, it was over before it started really. I was surprised by the fast result.” Eventually, Harry and Hermione got the idea to actually eat before visiting the blonde in his hospital bed, and Ron sat there waiting for the two to finish, annoyed that they could have just eaten in the first place. 

______________________________________________________________________________

Draco was not at all prepared to meet Harry’s friends. He didn’t get a warning at all! One minute he was laying in his hospital bed thinking about recent events and suddenly a girl with electrocuted hair and a messy haired ginger boy came bustling in with an aggressive and fast greeting. Draco didn’t want to be rude but he was rather shocked by the outburst and saw Harry struggling to catch up to them from down the hall. He really had no idea what to do with the loud greeting and just nodded his head waiting for Harry to arrive.

“So Harry’s probably told you all about us, yes?” Hermione asked him. That did not help in the slightest, Draco couldn’t really get the words out of his mouth and was hoping Harry would hurry the hell up so he would help him. He was still a while down the hall though, and Draco just sat there like a deer in headlights. 

“So, you don’t remember much, huh?” Ron said shortly after, cutting off his chances of actually answering the first question. Draco didn’t think Ron came off as rushed as Hermione did but the look he gave Draco was judging and made him even more uneasy. 

_“Oh good god what if they don’t like me? What if they think I’m strange or weird? Gosh I don’t even have any memories of course they think I’m strange! Oh god why-”_ Draco wished that he had been pretending to sleep or been having a check up because then he could have avoided this situation in the first place. Oh why couldn’t he have just remembered something, anything about who he was. He knew he was Draco and he knew that this was too much for him to handle, much too much.

“Guys, calm down! Don’t you see how uneasy Draco is? And why did you guys rush off so quickly?!” Harry said, panting as he shuffled next to the rest of the trio. Ron and Hermione just look Draco up and down before softening their gazes; Draco was tense and sweating and looked as relaxed as a 3 year old about to get a shot. They felt pretty bad, they assumed Draco was shy but not THAT shy. 

“Oh I’m so sorry, I should have introduced myself first. I’m Hermione Granger, it’s a pleasure.”

“I’m Ron Weasly, nice meeting you as well.” Draco was still nervous but an introduction helped. Draco processed his words for a few seconds before making them clear and the stress of meeting the strangers lessened as he spoke.

“Nice to meet you two, My name is Draco but as you’re aware, I’m unaware of my last name.” Wonderful, he’s ruined it. Why would he mention the last bit? Draco supposes that they introduced themselves with their last names so he should at least try. Expecting to be shunned for what he thought was an awkward greeting, Draco was pleased to see grins on the pairs faces as they seemed to be mustering up some questions.

“So, do you know any subjects, Draco?” Hermione asked. Draco thought about it for a moment and concluded that he wasn’t very aware of what subjects there were to know. He didn’t have to tell Hermione though, his lack of response already prompted her to unload a whole set of textbooks onto the bed next to him. One of the covers happened to particularly catch Draco’s eye. 

“What’s that one about?” He asked, pointing to a hardcover black textbook with a gold script labeled “Advanced Potion Making”. 

“Ah, I don’t think that would be at your level. Even I have a hard time with some of the content in there.” She replied and almost put the book back in her bag before Draco interrupted.

“Can I take a look anyway?” He said and Hermione just stared before shrugging and opening the book. 

“Maybe you can interpret it using common sense, it says here on the first chapter on how to make a shrinking solution.” She began, reading how to make the potion and for how long it should be stirred along with more long instructions that hurt to read all at once. However, Draco still had a weird feeling of connection with the content within the book. He couldn’t stop himself from interrupting by accident…

“...and the end result should have a potion the color of-”

“Acid Green.” The room was silent. How had he known that exactly? 

“Um Draco… are you SURE you don’t remember ANYTHING?” Hermione asked, quite surprised that Draco actually knew advanced potion material. 

“I’m… not exactly sure how I know.” 

“Maybe he knows some things but has a hard time recalling?” Ron suggested. He had been quite silent the whole orderve, unwilling to interrupt Hermione when she was in her current “mode” of discovery. It wasn’t a bad idea though, and Hermione started to flip through the book with further enthusiasm. 

“Draco, what does a mixture of wormwood infusion and powdered root of asphodel make?”

“Draught of living death.” He answered almost immediately. The whole trio was awestruck by the fast answer, not even a stutter. 

“Here’s a more difficult one! What ingredients are used in a polyjuice potion?”

“Leeches, fluxweed, lacewing flies, knotgrass, and the hair of the person you will become.” He wasn’t sure how he knew all of this content but Draco could feel himself begin to get all shaky. There was a strange ringing in his ear that wouldn’t go away followed closely by a sudden sharp pain to the head. He gripped the spot that felt stabbed and screwed his eyes shut. The group was silenced before rushing to his aid. The ringing got louder and their voices were muffled as the growing pain felt stronger and stronger. He could feel people surrounding him and touching his shoulders and trying to move his hand away from his head. He couldn’t hear. Draco’s hand fell down and he realized why they panicked so much. His hand was red and bloody and he could feel the liquid pool from his face. His vision darkened by the rims, slowly the darkness worked its way to overtake his vision before he felt cold, and couldn’t feel his fingers and toes. He slumped over, not really caring because the pain was nulling, but he could see something manifest as he drifted off into a blood induced slumber. 

_“What a disgrace Draco! You can’t even sit and study for a few hours at a time!” What was happening? Who was that voice? Voices?_

_“Listen to me boy! You should…” Draco was still well into the dream, unaware of the panic he was causing. The voices weren’t clear, just distant shouting that would fade in and out. He didn’t like it. He didn’t. They were yelling, two blonde people, both looking much like him would appear and then fade away. Each time a new reason to yell at him or.. **hit** him. Why were they yelling? Who were these people? Relatives? The dream was beginning to manifest more strongly now and lasted much longer. Draco could feel a pull on his arm, a rather hard pull. Why did it seem so disturbingly familiar? He knew that it would help figure out who he was, but he felt the urge that he didn’t want to remember. He would rather have it be forgotten. Forgotten forever; but he was supposed to know who he was. The arm pulled harder. He remembered then, the wax and the tug of his arm. He knew the people were parents, but that was all. He remembered being forced to study for hours until he found solace in it. He..he…_

_“Draco!” A voice boomed, and suddenly before him was a pale and tall man with long platinum blonde hair much like his own. There was a scowl on his face that made him sick to the stomach. That look was bad, no… that man was bad. But he wasn’t at the same time? Draco was confused, he was beyond confused. That man was bad, and he was also his father. But WHO was he? His head hurt again at that moment when he woke, and then he remembered who he was. The scowl that slowly faded away into darkness; that was Lucius. And that was all he knew._

“Draco! DRACO! Wake up!” Harry urged. Draco would have bolted up if it hadn’t been for the returning pain in his head. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were all looking at him in concern, Harry almost had tears in his eyes.

“What...what happened?” Their faces saddened even more.

“Your wound started… bleeding. Bleeding a lot. We don’t know why but it’s been taken care of.” They remained silent as Harry spoke. “Did you dream too?’ he questioned as well.

“Yeah… I don’t think it was a very good one though.”

“Didn’t think so, you were thrashing and shouting gibberish the whole ordeal.” Harry chuckled out in a sad tone. His head began to lessen in pain, he remembered though, the name of his father. It didn’t sit well. Lucius. Draco shivered violently.

“You alright?”

“Yeah… it was nothing. I’m-I’m fine.” Draco insisted. The trio just gave him a sad look before they headed out to their next classes. All but Harry.

“Did you remember something?”

“...yes.”

“Care to share?” He contemplated. It wouldn’t hurt Draco supposed. 

“You can’t tell anyone alright.”

“Okay…”  
“Not even Dumbledore!”

“Okay okay, but what was it?” Harry pressed. 

“A name.”

“Of who?” 

“...nobody. Just a name.”

“Which was…?”

“Lucius. It was Lucius.” Draco finally said, before he felt sick to his stomach. Seeing the boy's distress, Harry managed to grab a container before Draco emptied his stomach from the ordeal. Spots of blood freckled it through. 

“...you should get Madam Pomfrey.” 

______________________________________________________________________________

**Meanwhile...**

“DAMN IT! DAMN IT DAMN IT!” Lucius shouted as he smashed ornament after ornament and whatever else he could grab onto. Narcissa only watched as her husband's rage led him to destroy everything. They had found the broken door and they had found the bag of items. What they really wanted to find was not though. Their son was gone.

“That brat!” Lucius cursed as he sat down in a chair roughly. “We’ll find him. I swear we'll find him, and when we do we’ll make sure he NEVER even thinks about leaving ever again,” he continued as Narcissa watched in fear. She didn’t know what to do about this. “I’ll make sure of it.”


End file.
